Posts tagged gamer

I arrived in Primm and was immediately set upon by some very mean people. (I won’t say who so as not to really spoiler anything) Exploring Primm was fun, but ultimately what I was looking for was farther on. After another hour or so of gameplay I finally made it to the Strip of New Vegas.

I was lucky enough to approach the Strip at night, so all the casinos were lit up, and it was pretty impressive. To get into the Strip you have to either have 2,000 caps, a passport or a science skill high enough to hack the robot guard. I went the easy route and paid my way in. Walking through the gate I was bombarded by ridiculous amounts of neon and the sounds of The Chairman singing “Blue Moon.” I was in heaven.

In real life I’m not much of a gambler. When I finally set foot in casino(whenever that may be)I will likely spend about 10 bucks on slot machines and that’s it. But in New Vegas? I went high roller. And won most of my money back. I ended up only losing 100 caps to the blackjack table.

Wandering the Strip was kind of surreal, I’ve never been to the real Vegas so I can’t make any real comparisons but I felt kind of overwhelmed like I imagine I will when faced with the real thing. The lights, and the random hookers and drunk soldiers really added to the atmosphere as well.

Visuals wise I was very impressed with the work Obsidian did. They outdid Fallout 3 and that was beautiful game. The lights of the Strip were one of my favorite things visually about the whole game. I was also super impressed by the sheer amount of side quests in this game. The number of side quests outnumbers the main quests 10:1 almost.

Next time, I talk about companions, sex, and the awesomeness that is Black Mountain Radio.

Starting up New Vegas felt a little bit like coming home. I had the lights off, the TV turned up, and nothing to distract me from the mayhem that was sure to ensue. I sat patiently through the opening narration squeeing quietly when I heard that iconic phrase, “War. War never changes.” As a late comer to video games(I didn’t start playing them seriously until I discovered Oblivion in early 2008), I have never played the original Fallout games so I may not have quite the appreciation as some of the more serious fans, but I love it nonetheless.

When Fallout 3 came out, my husband and I were over-the-road truckers and at the time we were staying in Indiana for a few days. So we found a local Game Stop doing a midnight release and waited in the freezing cold to get this game that Mr. Doc had talked about for months before hand. At the time I was still leery of video games, and I didn’t understand what all the hype was about. I understand it now. The feeling I got when I started the game for the first time was something close to euphoria.

The beginning of the game was very reminiscent of Fallout 3. You chose the basics for your character, such as name, gender, and appearance. You then use a machine that looks like an old fashioned “Test Your Strength” game to assign point values to your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills. Finally Doc Mitchell gives you a series of Rorschach tests to determine your tag skills, which you can tweak to your liking. The result of the Rorschach tests also determines the parting gift you receive from the good Doctor.

I was given a Laser Pistol(one of my favorite weapons in Fallout 3)some ammo for said pistol, a Vault suit, and some stimpaks. Plus I raided his house, because it’s not stealing.

After leaving his house I explored the town of Goodsprings for a bit. Met up with Sunny Smiles(what a name)and received a Varmint Rifle. She “showed me how to shoot” and then took me Gecko hunting. The giant Geckoes made me laugh. The way they run is hysterical. We shot the Geckoes that were patrolling the wells for Goodsprings. I did a few more quests in Goodsprings before heading to Primm, looking for the men that shot me and left me for dead.